Greece

In Greece, you are standing at a crossroads of cultures, colours and civilisations, you feel the strength of history and the warmth of being in the southernmost part of Europe, you discover an evolutionary process of thought, influence and experience.

A country with a uniquely affluent historical past, inhabited by people gazing confidently and optimistically into the future.

A country that although statistically small, is huge in its diversity.

A landscape that has given us thousands of postcard images but remains incredibly vibrant and impossible to capture.

Greece is a country of beautiful contradictions, a constant journey in time, from the present to the past and back again.

Walk through the olive groves, through ancient sites. Move to clusters of sparsely inhabited islands. Roam from beaches to rocky mountains and explore the breathtaking scenery.

In Greece the fusion of images becomes more than imagery and turns into reality.

Explore your senses in Greece.

Greek coasts

The Greek coast has a total length of approximately 16,000 km. Half this length is found around the thousands of Greek islands. While the rest extends along the mainland. What characterises the famous Greek coasts is their unique diversity (beaches stretching over many kilometres, small bays and coves, sandy beaches with dunes, pebbly shores, coastal caves surrounded by steep rocks and with the characteristic dark sand of volcanic soils, coastal wetlands), and their clean and transparent waters that have made them renowned and extremely popular all over the world. In 2009, 425 beaches and 8 marinas in Greece were awarded the “Blue Flag” (See below), a figure that places the country in a top-ranking position among other European countries. The majority of the thousands of Greek coasts are freely accessible and you have the opportunity to discover and enjoy them without the presence of a large number of swimmers. There are also many organised beaches in the country with the necessary infrastructure providing high-quality services (umbrellas, reclining chairs, changing booths, cafes, bar-restaurants etc), where, apart from swimming, you can enjoy water sports (water ski, windsurfing, diving etc) as well as other means of having fun in the water, such as the parasailing for one or two persons, “rings” , “banana”, wakeboard, jet ski etc. All organised beaches also have lifeguard towers ensuring safe swimming in the area.

Sea tourism

The wealth and diversity of the Greek seas, the endless kilometres of the Greek coasts and the thousands of Greek islands, the protected sea areas covering thousands of square kilometres, the mild climate, the high percentage of sunshine and its interesting and varying landscape make Greece the ideal destination for the development of sea tourism activities. This advantage is strengthened both by thousands of years of marine tradition and by conditions favourable for sea travelling: the Greek seas are considered safe, distances between coasts are small, while conditions related to wind strength, ambient and sea temperatures are equally favourable. In Greece sea tourism started in the ‘60s and since then has been developing at a fast pace, especially in recent years. Cruise ships under Greek flag organising short or longer cruises to Greek ports and ports of other countries of the Eastern Mediterranean amount to more than 160,000 GRT units and have a total capacity of over 10,000 passengers. Greek ports, however, are also visited by cruise ships under foreign flags, which annually bring more than 500,000 passengers into the country by sea.

Mountain Holidays

Greece is above all a mountainous country, as it is occupied by more than 300 rocky masses varying in elevation. The Pindus Mountains are the principal mountain range and form the backbone of mainland Greece, extending through central Greece into the Peloponnese and Crete. The majority of islands throughout the Aegean are in fact the mountain peaks of the now-submerged landmass of Aegeis, which was once the link between mainland Greece and Asia Minor.

Mt Olympus (Macedonia), known from Greek mythology as the abode of the gods, is the highest mountain in the country, rising at 2,917 m (Μytikas peak). About forty 40 mountain complexes throughout the country reach elevations over 2,000 m.

The Greek mountains are reknowned for their diversity, landscapes of singular beauty and unique forests, many of which rank among the oldest natural wooded lands in Europe. Due to the astoundingly rich flora and fauna they support, many of these environments have been designated as National Parks and are protected as such, while as a result of infrastructure developed over the last decades, they constitute today ideal destinations for winter and alpine tourism.

Greek nature - Ecotourism

Notwithstanding its limited surface area, Greece is endowed with a particularly rich and diversified natural environment as a result of a rare geomorphology, with many striking natural contrasts and areas of great ecological value. The country’s abundant natural gifts –thousands of indented coasts, imposing rocky massifs, caves, gorges, lakes, rivers, biotopes of spectacular beauty and unique natural habitats– coupled with the mild climate, place it among the ideal destinations for ecotourism and alternative forms of tourism. When travelling in Greece, nature-loving tourists are offered the opportunity to:

• to wander in aesthetic forests or explore national parks not merely in the mountainous regions of the mainland, but also on certain islands or in the proximity of rivers and lakes
• to enjoy the wonderful natural monuments, gorges, caves and waterfalls.
• to watch and admire rare bird species nesting or seeking refuge in coastal ecosystems and wetlands (rocky coasts, sandy beaches, sand dunes, river deltas, lakes, marshes, coastal plains, etc)
• to study the highly diverse floral life of the Greek countryside
• to visit the unique marine parks supported near the islands of Alonissos and Zakynthos, which provide shelter to two protected species, the Mediterranean monk seal (Monachus-Monachus) and the Mediterranean green loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta) respectively.
• to engage in extreme sports (canoe-kayak, rafting, monoraft, hydrospeed, canyoning, mountain biking, etc), activities which have seen a spectacular rise in popularity in recent years
• to stay in agrotourist units which are being developed all over the country and afford visitors the opportunity to become familiar with vernacular architecture, cultural and gastronomic tradition, local products, farming activities and the daily life of local inhabitants.

Visitors of ecologically sensitive areas must observe all rules for the protection of the environment against pollution, the non-disturbance of natural habitats and the preservation of the various ecosystems’ equilibrium. Information on visiting protected areas and participating in special programs can be obtained from local information centres, local authorities, and specialised agencies.

Climate - Weather

Greece has a Mediterranean climate with plenty of sunshine, mild temperatures and a limited amount of rainfall. Due to the country's geographical position, its rugged relief and its distribution between the mainland and the sea, there is great variation in Greece's climate. In summer, the dry hot days are cooled by seasonal winds called the meltemi, while mountainous regions have generally lower temperatures. The winters are mild in lowland areas, with a minimum amount of snow and ice, yet, mountains are usually snow-covered. Moreover, a common phenomenon is the occurrence of different climactic conditions during the same season (for instance, mild heat in coastal areas and cool temperatures in mountainous regions).

General Information

Greece is situated in Southeastern Europe, with an area of 131,957 sq.km. and a population of 10,964,020.

Athens is the capital of Greece with a population of 3,192,606.

Local time is GMT +2 hours.

The Hellenic Republic is a Presidential Parliamentary Democracy.

President of the Hellenic Republic: Mr Karolos Papoulias.

Prime Minister: Mr Georgios Papandreou

Parliament: Three hundred elected members with elections held every four years

Greece is a member state of E.U. since 1981.

The currency is euro.

The Greek economy adopts the principles of free enterprise and is bound by the regulations of international organisations such as ECOFIN and WTO, of which it is a member.

Tourist Police

The Tourist Police is a Service of the Greek Police Force staffed with specially trained, foreign-language speaking personnel. Within the framework of its duties and functions, it provides the following services:

• It provides information to Greek and foreign visitors and offers them assistance in settling any issues arising with tourist businesses.
• It cooperates with locally competent Directorates of Tourism and local authorities in order to deal with tourism issues.
• It ensures that the tourist legislation in force is applied in all tourist areas, businesses and media, such as hotels, apartments and rooms to let,
• tourist shops, tourist agencies and coaches, car and motorcycle rental agencies, archaeological sites, tourist guides, ski resorts, spa towns, mass arrival/departure stations, sanitary facilities operating in tourist businesses and sites of free camping, etc.
• It carries out inspections of tourist businesses with the aim to provide better services and higher protection to visitors.

The distinctive insignia of the Greek Tourist Police officers are the following:

• White band on the cap
• White belt
• White gloves
• The distinctive insignia “TOURIST POLICE” worn on the front of the shirt.

The Greek Tourist Police can be reached around-the-clock by dialing “171”. This line provides all kind of information and instructions in Greek, English, French and German, thus helping tourists to deal directly with any arising problem.

In case you need any help, do not hesitate to contact the staff members of the Greek Tourist Police by dialing “171”.